Originally published on Photoblog by Gethin Thomas January. 24, 2021
[176-365] 24th. January 2021- We are in a snowless little corner of the country today. Yesterday it was all weather warnings of snow, ice and freezing temperatures and we have been receiving photos of snowy scenes and snowmen from our friends from all over the place but nothing here. And I am not complaining. It is something I won't miss.
We seem to have our own micro climate here, a result I am sure of the tidal creek that dominates this area.
Having grown up in India, I never saw snow until I was about 12. I remember we had returned to Britain and I was in school one morning and looked out of the window and there it was coming down. It was so exciting. As soon as the lunch time break bell went, I headed off, careening down the corridor to get out to see it as fast as I could. I ran out of the door and ended up flat on my back, learning the hard way that it was slippery stuff. I thought then that it was overrated and great to look at as long as you don't have to go out.
Years later, doing an International Trade Show in the Midlands every February when it almost always snowed, I remember sitting in one of the glazed public areas one year looking out on to the grass and tarmac outside where it had been snowing for about an hour.
After a few minutes two young people male and female went out of one of the exits, not really dressed for the cold. I am guessing they were Chinese, but obviously from a tropical region because it quickly became evident that they had never seen snow before. They proceeded to take selfies and photos of themselves, holding handfuls of snow and posing next to posts and signs with little heaps of snow on. In some photos they posed each for the other bending down and pointing at the little white piles of snow, while grinning at the camera in wonder as if it was some magical phenomenon, which it obviously was. It was fascinating to watch and quite charming. It's a beautiful world, if sometimes a bit slippery, just to keep you on your toes.
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